A federal judge has officially brought an end to actor and filmmaker Justin Baldoni’s $400 million legal action against his It Ends with Us co-star Blake Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, marking the conclusion of one of Hollywood’s most closely watched legal battles of the year.
On October 31, 2025, U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Liman entered a final judgment in the case, effectively terminating the January 16 countersuit filed by Baldoni and several associates connected to his production company, Wayfarer Studios. The plaintiffs in the case included Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios cofounder Steve Sarowitz, CEO Jamey Heath, crisis PR specialist Melissa Nathan, and publicist Jennifer Abel.
In his ruling, Judge Liman explained that the plaintiffs had failed to file an amended complaint by the court’s deadline.
“On October 17, 2025, the Court issued an order directing the parties to show cause why final judgment should not be entered in this case,” Liman wrote in his order. “The time for the Wayfarer Parties to file an amended complaint has lapsed.”
Liman further noted that only defendant Blake Lively responded to the court’s order, while the plaintiffs did not provide any additional filings before the October 24 deadline. As a result, the dismissal of the case became final.
Although the lawsuit has now been terminated, the plaintiffs retain the right to appeal, and Lively’s request for attorneys’ fees remains pending.
The ruling caps a months-long legal saga that began after Baldoni and his co-plaintiffs filed suit against Lively, Reynolds, and publicist Leslie Sloane earlier this year, alleging extortion, defamation, and false light invasion of privacy, among other claims.
Their suit was consolidated with Lively’s own December 31, 2024 sexual harassment lawsuit against Baldoni in New York federal court, a case that drew widespread media attention due to the high-profile names involved and the ongoing publicity surrounding It Ends with Us, the film the pair co-starred in.
In June 2025, Judge Liman dismissed Baldoni’s lawsuit, ruling that his claims of civil extortion, defamation, and false light did not meet legal standards. The court gave the plaintiffs until June 23 to file an amended complaint—but they failed to do so.
In an October 17 order, Liman confirmed that “the Wayfarer Parties did not” submit the required filing, meaning that the dismissal became final as of June 23, 2025, for all parties involved.
The court’s final judgment through spokesperson Charlie Stadtlander, who referred to a previous statement made when the case was dismissed earlier this year.
“We are grateful to the court for seeing the lawsuit for what it was: a meritless attempt to stifle honest reporting,” Stadtlander said.
“Our journalists went out and covered carefully and fairly a story of public importance, and the court recognized that the law is designed to protect just that sort of journalism. We will continue to stand up in court for our journalism and for our journalists when their work comes under attack.”
Lively’s legal team also hailed the outcome as a complete victory. In a June 9 statement, her attorneys had called the lawsuit “a sham,” saying the court “saw right through it.”
“Today’s opinion is a total victory and a complete vindication for Blake Lively, along with those that Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties dragged into their retaliatory lawsuit, including Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Sloane,” the statement read.
“We look forward to the next round, which is seeking attorneys’ fees, treble damages and punitive damages against Baldoni, Sarowitz, Nathan, and the other Wayfarer Parties who perpetrated this abusive litigation.”
While the final judgment officially closes the chapter on Baldoni’s civil action, the case may not be entirely over. His team still has the option to appeal the decision to a higher court, and proceedings related to attorneys’ fees and potential damages remain active.
Representatives for Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, Lively, and Reynolds did not immediately respond to requests for comment following the ruling.
The lawsuit’s conclusion marks the end of a contentious and high-profile dispute that blurred the lines between Hollywood stardom, media coverage, and the legal system—leaving a cautionary tale about the risks of personal and professional conflicts playing out in the public eye.